gravel



March 8, 1932. R. J. SAGER ET AL 4 SAND, GRAVEL, AND CHIPS SPREADER Filed Sept. 17, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet l N N Q h 8 Q g .r

m v Q Q CEQ 4 g m N N s N awe/WM JZ.JA@7

March 8, 1932. R: J. SAGER ET AL 1,848,750

SAND, GRAVEL, AND CHIPS SPREADER Filed Sept. 17, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v j vwe/wbo'v J13. [Libya] aitowu o. I

Patented Mar. 8, 1932 U ITED STATES.

PATENT OFFK RALPH J. SAG -R'AND II OYD Ii. COFFMAN, OHIO SA-EN D, -GRAVEL, AND CHIPS SPREADER Application filedSeptember 17,1930. Seria1. I\To. 482;5:60.

utility of devices of that type to which the 15. present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of ,parts and in the 20 details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it'beingunder'stood' that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of What is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in elevation, a device con-' structed in accordance with the invention 3 1 Figure 2 is a top plan; 1

Figure 3 is an end elevation;

' Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section showing the device mounted on a truck box;

Figure 5 is an elevation disclosing the' 'opis depicted in Figure .3.

In carrying out the inventiomfthere is provided a frame 1 on which a hopper 2 is mounted. The hopper 2 is open at the top, as shown at '3 in Figure 4. In the front of the hopper at the topthereof, there is an opening 4: into which the box 5 of a truck extends, the hopper 2 being attached to thev truck box in any desired way, as indicated at 6. The hinged end gate 7 ofthe truck I box extends downwardly into the hopper 2, through the open upper end of the hopper, as Figure iwill show.

The hopper 2 has a fixed inclined bottom '8 extending from one end of the hopper t0 the other. Any desired number of movable posite end of the hopper from that which bottom sections .9 are provided, and these bottom .sections'9 are of different lengths,-as Figure 2 will show. The central bottom section ,9 preferably is the longest, whereas the (ither bottom sections are somewhat shorter than the middle or central. bottom section. "The relative lengths of the bottom sections "9 may be arranged as desired by the manufacturer or in view of the proposed use.

I As shownin Figure 4,'the'movable bottom sections 9 are hinged at 10 to the inclined fixed bottom 8 of the hopper 2, the sections 9 of the bottom having downwardly extended 7 projections 11 ,Which may be angle member-s. Although the sections 9 have been alluded to asiinoVable bottom sections, any desired I number of them can be converted into; fixed bottom sections. This is done by'connecting 7 the bottom sections '9 to the outer 'or rear walll' l of the hopper 2 by means of bolts'l2, or other securing elements, shown in Figure 4. One of the bottom sections, held closed" by the corresponding bolt 12,is marked by the nmneral 30 in Figure 4. i j

-When the bolts 12 are removed, and when the bottom sections 9are permitted to swing downwardly, their downward movement is limited byengagem'entf with a support '15 in the 'fofrm of a rod, extended through the frame 1' from one end of the frame to the other. When the sections 9 of the bottom are open, 'the'projection's 11 engage behind the rod or Figure i.

A means is provided for raising and lowering'the support .15, at thewill of an operator, so as to regulate the position of the movablebottom sections 9 and govern. the flow of the materialout of the hopper 2. Having this consideration in mind, the ends of the supports 15 are connected by longitusupport 15, ascanbe seen in" dinally adjustable links 16"(Figures 3 and Y 5) with arms 17 on a firstshaft 18 which is supported for rotation in "bearings 28 on the wall l l of the hopper 2.- An operating member of handle 19, shown in Figure 3, is connectedto one'of the arms 17 and to the first shaft 18. The operating member 19 has a latch mechanism 20 adapted to cooperate with a segment 21 supported on one end of the hopper 2.

A second shaft 22 extends longitudinally of the hopper 2 and is journaled for rotation therein. A beveled gear 23 is fixed to one end of the second shaft 22 and meshes with a beveled pinion 24 secured to a third shaft 25 supported for rotation at 29 on one end of the hopper 2. The third shaft 25 may be rotated in any suitable manner, for instance, by means of a crank 26. Agitating arms 27 are secured to the third shaft 25 within the hopper 2, and are spaced apart longitudinally of the hopper, as disclosed in Figure 2. The agitating arms 27 are so constructed that some of them tend to move the material to the left in Figure 2, whereas others of them tend to move the material to the right.

In practical operation, the operator first determines the width of the strip which is to be covered with the deposited material. He then unbolts as many or as few of the movable bottom sections 9 as he wishes, permitting the bottom sections thus freed to swing downwardly from the position shown at 30 in Figure 4, to the open position of that figure, the members 9 which open resting on the support or rod 15. The size of the opening through which the material flows, considered vertically, can be regulated by adjusting the sections 9 and the rod 15 vertically, such an adjustment being effected by swinging the handle 19, and engaging the latch mechanism 20 with the segment 21, the arms 17 and the links 16 serving to raise and lower the support 15 and the movable bottom sections 9. The material in the truck box 5 opens the end gate 7, the material flows from the box 5 into the hopper 2, and runs out of the hopper, across the opened bottom sections 9, as the truck is moved along. In this way, the material is distributed over the surface of the highway. In the event that the material does not flow properly in the hopper 2 due to moisture or any other reason, the material can be agitated by turn,- ing the third shaft 25 through the instrumentality of the crank 26. rotation being imparted to the second shaft 22 by way of the beveled pinion 24 and the beveled gear 23, the agitating arms 27 moving the material to the right and to the left (Figure 2) in the hopper 2.

The device'may be used for a wide variety of purposes and will be useful generally, to contractors and others. If desired, it may be employed to spread sand, gravel, chips and the like on a roadway in the process of roadmaking, it being possible to regulate the flow of the material as to quantity, and as to the width of the strip of material which is deposited, this last-mentioned adjustment being brought about by keeping as many of the bottom sections 9 as is desired in the closed position shown at 30 in Figure 4 by means of the bolts 12.

The machine is simple in construction but efiicient in operation, and it will be found to be well adapted to withstand the hard use to which contractors machinery is subjected.

The bottom 8 and the wall 14 are acutely disposed with respect to each other, and converge as they extend downwardly. The result is that the material, sand for instance, unless it is damp or unusually sluggish, will flow without agitation, regardless of the position of the truck box 5, that is, regardless of whether the truck box is hoisted and tilted more or less from the position shown in Figure 4.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a device of the class described, a hopper having hingedly mounted bottom sections, means for holding some of the bottom sections closed, a single support carrying all of the bottom sections which are open, and mechanism under the control of an operator for raising and lowering said single support, thereby to close or open all the open bottom sections more or less, and simultaneously.

2. In a device of the class described, a hopper having hingedly mounted bottom sections, removable securing elements, such as bolts, permanently but detachably connecting some of the bottom sections with the hopper, to hold said bottom sections positively closed, a single support carrying all of the open bottom sections, and mechanism under the controlof an operator for raising and lowering the support, thereby to close or open all of the open bottom sections simultaneously and adjustably.

3. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1 and further characterized by the fact that said mechanism embodies a shaft supported for rotation on the hopper, means under the control of an operator for rotating the shaft, arms on the shaft, and links connecting the arms with the support.

4. In a device of the class described, a hopper having hingedly mounted bottom sections, means for holding some of the bottom sections closed, a rod-like support extended under all of the bottom sections, the bottom sections which are opened resting on the shaft, a shaft supported for rotation, arms on the shaft, links connecting the arms with the support, a handle on the shaft, latch mechanism carried by the handle, and a segment wherewith the latch mechanism engages.

5. A device of the class described, constructed as set forth in claim 1, and further characterized by the provision of agitating means embodying a shaft journaled for rotation in the hopper, and means for rotating the shaft, there being at least one arm for almost all of the bottom sections, adjacent arms, considered longitudinally of the shaft, being oppositely pitched so as to move the material back and forth, lengthwise of the hopper, in a plurality of independently actuated a masses, and thereby secure an even discharge of the material.

6. In a device of the class described, a hopper and means for securing the hopper to a tiltable truck box, the hopper having afixed bottom and an opposed wall which are spaced at their lower ends to form an opening, the bottom and said wall being disposed acutely and in downwardly converging relation with respect to each other, thereby to secure a ready flow of the contents of the hopper through the opening, regardless of the angle to which the truck box is tilted, bottom sec- 7 tions hinged to the fixed bottom and cooperating with said wall to form closures for r the opening, means forholding any of the movable bottom sections closed, a single support carrying the movable bottom sections which are open, and extended under all of the bottom sections, and mechanism under the control of an operator for raising and lowering the support bodily, thereby to close or open the open movable sections more or less and simultaneously. a

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have hereto aflixed our signatures.

RALPH J. SAGER. FLOYD L. COFFMAN. 

